Teresa Wat has quit the B.C. Conservative caucus to sit as an Independent, becoming the fourth legislator to leave the party this month under the leadership of Kerry-Lynne Findlay. The Richmond-Bridgeport MLA blamed Findlay for her departure Wednesday, saying the Conservative leader did not apologize after allegedly making “unfounded accusations about me, including remarks that called my allegiance to Canada into question.” “I realized that these allegations had caused real damage to my reputation and had created serious concern within the community,” Wat said in a statement. “These remarks were distasteful, hurtful and made me question my place in the B.C. Conservatives under her leadership.” Wat said Findlay told her there would be “an apology and clarification” regarding the remarks, but none was forthcoming. “I cannot continue to sit in a caucus led by someone who has questioned my loyalty without evidence and, when given the opportunity to correct the record, has failed to do so,” Wat said. Findlay calls exit ‘a betrayal’ Her exit follows that of former caucus whip Rosalyn Bird, who quit the party Tuesday, just hours after Findlay told a news conference that more MLAs could be ready to leave the struggling B.C. Conservatives. The conference was held in response to the departures of Ian Paton and Peter Milobar, who left the Conservatives in recent days to form a new party, citing misalignment with Findlay’s values. The Conservative leader called Wat’s departure “a betrayal” of the volunteers and campaign workers who helped elect her, saying she had considered the matter of the remarks “resolved.” “On July 29, I reached MLA Wat in Taipei and had a private conversation, during which I apologized to her directly and we discussed how to move forward,” Findlay said in a statement posted to social media Wednesday. “Despite this, nearly a month later MLA Wat demanded a second statement of apology,” Findlay said. According to her post, Findlay wrote a second statement addressing Wat’s concerns, and was prepared to release it, but was instead blindsided by Wat’s resignation “without any prior communication to me.” Findlay has accused those quitting the party of lacking the “vision for prosperity and hope that we’re presenting for all British Columbians.” Since Findlay won the Conservative leadership in May, other major party figures, including former executive director Angelo Isidorou and ex-president Aisha Estey, have also left. The party came to the brink of power in the 2024 provincial election after winning 44 seats under the leadership of John Rustad. But the Conservative coalition soon splintered from both flanks, reducing the caucus to 33 members. Wat said that, as a four-term MLA, she understands that politics can be a cutthroat pursuit, and she made her decision to leave the party “with a heavy heart.” “I firmly believe we need an alternative to the NDP that is trying to grow and not one trying to divide,” she said. “That is not the direction of the B.C. Conservatives under Kerry-Lynne Findlay.”
